Broken promises drive exiled hunter-gatherers back to Congolese gorilla refuge
Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo Reuters In the forested borderlands of eastern Congo, some members of an exiled hunter-gatherer community plan to move back into their ancestral land in a national park in protest over broken promises from the authorities they say put rare gorillas over their rights. An estimated 10,000 Indigenous Batwa live […]
Nearly 10 per cent of marine life threatened with extinction – Red List
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters The effects of human activity from climate change to pollution are “devastating” marine life, with nearly a tenth of underwater plants and animals assessed so far threatened with extinction, the latest Red List of Threatened Species showed on Friday. The report’s release coincides with a UN summit on nature in Montreal where […]
“Insect apocalypse”: From flickering fireflies to lowly dung beetles, insects are vanishing
As the UN biodiversity summit gets underway in Montreal, GLORIA DICKIE, JULIA JANICKI and SIMON SCARR, of Reuters, report on what scientists are calling a global “insect apocalypse”…
“Go be happy”: Thousands of baby river turtles released in Peruvian jungle
Iquitos, PeruReuters Some 3,000 baby river turtles native to the Amazon rainforest were released into a Peruvian river on Thursday after hatching from eggs kept on artificial beaches as part of a conservation effort. The river turtles are considered “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and have for many years been killed […]
Essay: Africa’s two elephant species are both endangered, due to poaching and habitat loss
In an article first published on The Conversation, GEORGE WITTEMYER, a member of a team that recently reviewed the status of African elephants for the International Union for Conservation of Nature, looks at what they found…
More than 20 countries found weakening environmental protection during pandemic
Rio de Janeiro, BrazilThomson Reuters Foundation At least 22 countries enacted or proposed changes during the coronavirus pandemic that weaken environmental regulation, endangering protected areas around the globe, according to a research paper published on Thursday. Brazil, India and the United States are the hotspots of COVID-era rollbacks, said the paper, part of a wider […]
“Democratise the mountains”: Chileans demand green space for all
MATT MAYNARD, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on the push to turn a wilderness near Santiago into a new national park – and why some are opposed…
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef status lowered to critical and deteriorating
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters The health of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the world’s most extensive and spectacular coral reef ecosystem, is in a critical state and deteriorating as climate change warms up the waters in which it lies, an international conservation group said. The World Heritage-listed site off Australia’s north-eastern coast has lost more than half its […]
Global reforestation drive grows fast as governments grasp benefits
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation The world’s largest reforestation push, now almost a decade old, has beaten its 2020 target, as countries use their pledges to tackle national priorities including job creation, food security and climate change, researchers said on Wednesday. The Bonn Challenge – launched in 2011 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature […]
Australia’s platypus fights for survival amid prolonged drought
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Australia’s platypus is under severe stress as the continent’s prolonged drought dries up river beds, leaving one of the world’s most peculiar animals fighting for its existence, scientists say. The intensity of Australia’s three-year drought on top of other factors such as land clearing, dam construction and climate change is worsening the survival […]